Improvement in magazine fire-arms



2Sheets-Sheet1'. A. T. FREEMAN.

Ma'gazina Fire-Arms. NW1/17,555 l Patented Feb.17v,1874.

ZShleets--Sheetl A. T. FREEMAN. Magazine Fire-Arms. No.l47,555. y PatentedFeb.17,1874.

i E x ETTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUSTIN T. FREEMAN, OF HERKIMER, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN MAGAZINE FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 1453555, dated February 17, 1874; application filed January 2, V1874.

To all ywhom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUSTIN T. FREEMAN, of Herkimer, in the county of Herkimer and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Breech-Loading Magazine-Guns; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings making part oi' this specification, in which-- Figure 1 is a side elevation, sho wing the arm as just red. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section, in the line y y of Fig. 4, of the arm in the position it assumes when the tired cartridge has been partly withdrawn, and a new cartridge is in the carrier ready to be brought up from the magazine. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the arm in the line x .as of Fig. 5, showing the cartridge-carrier, with the cartridge raised in line with the bore of the gun, and ready for the parts to be readjusted to the position shown in Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of the arm as adjusted in Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the arm, with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a transverse section in the line w w of Fig. 5, looking toward the stock end of the gun. Fig. 7 is also a transverse section in the line w wf, but looking toward the breech end of the barrel, the parts being in the position shown in Fig. 2.

The same letters of reference are used in the ditterent iigures to designate the same parts.

The nature of my invention consists, iirst, in the combination of an intermittently-vibrating cartridge receiver and conveyer with the cam and lever-acting breech-block, said conveyer being hinged directly upon the pin of the breech-block, and the said breech-block being constructed with an extension, by which it lifts the cartridge receiver and conveyer in line with the chamber of the barrel, and with a cam-extension, by which it forces the cartridge into said chamber. By this combination, the cartridges, after being automatically t'ed into the receiver, are brought into position by a direct action of the breech-block as said block is turned back on its pin, and are forced into the chamber by adireot action of said block upon the cartridge as the block is turned for= ward on said pin. The advantage of the in termittent motion of the cartridge carrier and conveyer lies in its not being moved until the breech has been moved far enough back to effect the withdrawal of the cartridge-shell from the chamber of the gun. It consists, second, in the intermittent vibrating cartridge receiver and conveyer, hinged directly upon the pin of the breech-block, and combined with said block, so as to be operated by it directly by a tail or extension thereof. By this construction, fewer parts are necessary, and cornplicated intermediate mechanism, which imparts a reciprocating motion to the carrier, is dispensed with. Third, in the oscillating spring cartridge-ejector, constructed with an additional catch on its rear side, in combina-tion with the carrier, constructed with a latch on its front end, and with the breech-piece, constructed with an extension or tripping-tail, whereby the ejector is made to hold up the cartridgecarrier in a central range with the bore of the gun until the operation of closing the breech commences and the cartridge is moved far enough into the chamber to carry, by its iiange, the ejector along with it, and the carrier is released and allowed to assume a .position in range with the magazine; and

whereby, also, when the operation of opening the breech commences, the ejector is tripped, and the power of its spring brought into action for the purpose of suddenly ejecting the cartridge-shell.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A is the stock portion of the gun; B, the barrel; B', the breech-chamber; C, the cartridge-magazine chamber 5 D, the hammer or cock; E, the breech-piece; El, a cam-exten sion on the bottom of the breech-piece; E2, the

handle or thumb-piece, by which the breechpiece is operated; F, a tail or rear extension of the breech-piece, and athe tiring-passage through the breech-piece, leading from the rear to the front thereof 5 H,- the cartridge-carrier; 11.2 h6, shoulders on the inner side of the carrier, and h a channel cut down through its top; b, the pin upon which the breech-block ald cartridge-carrier are hinged, this pin being a center eonlnlon to both. g is a spring, and y a detent, by which the carrier is retained in range with the magazine-chanlllelz l1 is a stop orprojection on the l'orwal'd elld ot' the cartridgecarrier. is the cartridgeejeetol. It is ot' angular l'orln. y' is the pill on which the ejector is hullg alld allowed to oseillate. l is a spring, aild h5 a calll, by wliicll the ejector is colltrolled. The calli holds the spring ill a passive collditioll whell the ejector is ill the positioll sllowli ill tllll black lilies, Fig. 1, but allows the spring to exert its force wllen the parts are adjusted to the positioll sliowll ill Fig. 2. The. ejector has a laterallyextended lip, 1,'on its upper vertical part c, alld tllis lip stands ill t'ront oi' the tlange of the cartridge, alld is t'orced, by said tlange, wllell the breech-piece is closed, as ill Fig.1,illto tlie reeessf, t'orlned ill the outside ot' the chamber part ot` the barrel. The ejector also has a curved nose, el, on its lowcr rear portioli t, against which the tail F ot' the breech-block strikes while the parts are being adjusted to the position shown ill dotted lilies ill Fig. 1, and ill t'ull black lilies ill Fig. L. The ejector is also t'urnislled witll a catch, i", on its rear side. which catches under the latell Il ol" the carrier.

1t will he observed that the rear portion of the breech-block extends dowli between the ears or rear ends otl the cartridge carrier. and also bellilld and below the bottolll ol said carrier, when the parts are adjusted as sliowll ill Figs. alld it, alid that its cani'shaped portion ll passes through the cllalllicl l ill the top of the carrier, alld down betweell the internal shoulders 11" Il, when tht` breech is closed, as ill Fig. 1.

ln practice, I illtelld to use the usllal tllbe under the barrel t'or feeding the cartridges to the carrier; and the cartridges will be l'ed along by a spiral spl'illg i'rolll the lilagazille illto the carrier as fast as llsed.

The gllll havingl been tired, as ill Fig. 1, alld a new cartridge heilig ill the carrier, the breech-block is pulled up alld back to the positioll sllowll ill dotted lilies ill Fig. 1. rlllis brings the tail F ot' the block up to the nose c: ofthe ejector, and, by a continuation of this back-pull of the bl'cecllblock until the parts asslllne the position sllowll ill Fig.2, the ejectorspring` Il will be set t'ree tl'oln its ealn h5, and the ejector will sllddellly start the cartridge out ot' the challlber, as illustrated. The caltridge-earrier, being ollt ot' range with the barrel ot' the gull, and ill range with the niagazine, receives the enlpty shell upon its chanl lleled top. alld the sides ol' the channel therein will prevent the cartridge-shell t'loln falling` ott' on one side while it is nloving back, alld thus act as a guide to it while it is beillg ejected. Thecartridge-shell beillgtlius ejected, the carrier is raised to the position shown in Fi g. 3, alid locked in that position by the catch c* of the ejector falling llllder the latch 7l3 of the carrier. The parts being in this conditioll, and a cartridge in range with the chamber l ot' the barrel, the breechpiece is forced forward alid down, alld its caln portion El forces the cartridge forward illto the said chamber, and as the cartridge passes into the chamber its tlange takes hold of the lateral lip d of the ejector, and carries the upper end of the ejector into the recess f. This action upon the ejector causes it to disconnect from the carrier, where upoli the carrier falls, or is caused to fall, to the position shown in Figs. l and 2, and the reir elld ot' the carrier, by its detcnt g', engages with the spring g, and becomes teniporarily stationary in its position. Simultaneousl y with this descent of the carrier and thc entrance of the clld c of the ejector into the recess j', the lower rear end of the ejector rises to the position shown in dotted lines in Fie. l, and the cani h passes under the spring /ly in such a nlanncr that this sprilig is caused to act with a straight vertical pressure upon it and the pill y of the ejector, which pressure ill a straight lille holds the ejector in the posiA tioli shown by dotted lines in Fi". 1. Now, the halilnler is set free to iirc the arln, and inl lnediately after the 'breech-piece is l'novcd up and back to the position shown in Fig. 2, or until its tail F presses against the nose c2 of the ejector l, and adjusts the cani to the positioli showli in Fig. 2. Upon this adjustment taking place7 the spring acts with an oblique pressllre upon the caln h5, and the ejector suddenly starts the cartridge, as shown in Fig. 2, out ot the cllalnber B ot' the barrel, and the lartridge glides up on the channeled top ot' the carrier, and is removed by the hand or dropped upon the ground. A continuation ot' the up-and-back inovelnent of the breech-piece causes the tail F to pass up under the bottoni of thc carrier and lift it to the position shown ill Fig. 3, in which position it is locked by reason of the catch cg of thc ejector Gr and latch le ol the carrier II becolning engaged with one aliotlior. rFlins the charging of the gun is continued until all the cartridges of the lilagazine have been red.

ln practice, I may find it convenient to e1nploy a connecting link or pawl between the hanllner alid breech-block, as is the case in solne breech-loadin g gulls, or as shown in the Elliott arnl, so that by the backward movelllelltof the hannner the breech is opened.

What I clailn as niy invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The vibrating cartridge receiver and carrier, constructed as described, with a vertical. loligitudillal slot extending through the re ceiving-clianlbcr, to receive the cam-extension ot' the breech-block, in combination Wit-h the \zanlsllaped lever-actingbreech-block,theparts being arranged on the saine pivot, and the carrier being operated through the medium of the extension or tail F of said breech-block, substantially as described.

2. The interlnittently-vibra ting cartrid ge receiver and conveyer H, hinged directly t0 the front end, and the breech-piece E, constructed axial pin of the breech-block, and combined with the tail F, substantially as and for the with said block, having the tail-piece F, aubd purpose described.

operated directly by said. tail at intervals su x Y l T stantially as and for the purpose set forth. AUSTIN T', FREEMAN 3. The combination of the springejeetor G, Witnesses:

constructed with catch e4 ou its rear side, the GAYLORD STEELE,

carrier H, constructed with the latch hs on its J.v E. FREEMAN. 

